Breakable Tombstone

So Halloween is coming up and you need to put your neighbor to shame. Well I am going to show you how to make a tombstone that not only is a good yard decoration but can be made into a breakaway tombstone for your movies.



What you need:

1. Foam insulation 4x8 sheet - Home center. I used the white foam but the blue or pink foam works also.
2. Tape measure
3. Sand paper
4. Razor knife with a really long blade
5. String - or string substitute (I used headphones)
6. Maker
7. Spray glue - make sure it is foam safe - craft store

Leave protective plastic on foam when cutting the shapes.

Cut the foam into rectangles the size you want your tombstones to be.

Now grab your string and stretch it across your foam. Now fold your string in half. Where the string bends is the center of the foam.

Grab you marker and hold it in one hand with one end of the string and stretch the string out to the bend, to the center of the foam. Keep that hand there and with your maker hand draw a semicircle at the top of your tombstone. Then cut along the line to make your tombstone shape.

After that, trace that tombstone twice and cut out. You want three identical tombstones.

Now sand the edges to get rid of jagged cuts.

Decide what layer will be the center of the tombstone and cut a medium size hole in it. This hole is going to be filled with flour, so that when the tombstone breaks it looks like concrete dust flying.

Now take the protective plastic off the foam.

Here comes the fun part...the lettering.

I went with the generic RIP but you can put anything you want on them.

First draw your letters on the foam. Then cut around the letters, making a V shape around the letter outline.

To make the tombstone break correctly when your actor hits it, you need to break the tombstone first then put it back together. I scored the back of the tombstones but didn't cut all the way through. I then broke them in half, along the score lines. Now copy the exact break lines onto the other two tombstone layers.

After each layer is broken you want to glue them back together. Don't glue where you broke them just glue the three layers together.

Now its time for some paint. Use latex paint so you don't dissolve the foam. Paint the edges including the broken ones then put the tombstone together and paint the front and back. Since my foam was white I fogged on the black only misting it. That way I get a stone look. If you are using blue or pink foam paint it entirely black then just lightly mist it with white, or stone texture paint.

Now for your effect. Fill the hole in the middle with flour or baby powder, then reassemble the tombstone. Place it in your shooting location and have your actor hit it. It should fly apart spraying the flower making it look like rock. Add a cool sound effect and you are done.

For more cool special effects and props check out http://www.zogcast.com